The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-06-11


the party she goes to her room aud gets out
the dress she intends TO wear, and brings Il
down stairs and looks II over. There is al
ways something the matter with girls par.
ty dress. She works, and der mother works,
over that dress about half day; then they
sew the ruching into the neck and sleeves,
and the girl takes the dress upstairs. along
towards supper time, and spreads 1t out upon
the bed. Then she gets out the shoes, and
the hosiery, and the ribbons, and whatever
else she expects to wear, and ranges them
along on the floor, and upon chairs around
the room. Then she gets out her party bag
and loads it.
For tho benefit Of the unsophisticated, l
will state that party bag is an arrangement
composed Of silk, and is about ten inches
wide and three feet long. The hole is not in
the end Of the bag, as might reasonably be
ex pected, but it is right square in the mid
die of the bag. leaving q pocket in either
end. There are brass rings over the bsg
which keep the things from falling out
There is no arrangement provided to keep
the young ladys temper from falling Out
during the process Of getting ready for
party.
After tea the young lady disappears. The
door of her room is shut, and dead silence
reigns. After about two hours she comes
out She has got her shoes on, and her teeth
cleaned, and her dress skirt on-all in twi
hours. Then she comes down stairs, ant
calls her mother. Her dress doesn't set jus
right, the drapery is little bit askew, hel
bangs are not properly arranged, and sh'
wants her mother to come and help elk
her. She stands in the family sitting room
and turns her neck so as to look over frs
one shoulder and then the other. to observ
the effect as her mother adds finishing
touch here and there, and the remaining
members of the family give her the beneti
of their views upon the costume in general
If she is going with her brother she is COO
as cucumber, and he is prancing around
telling her to Hurry up" and "Don't put
ter So" If she is going with somebod.
else's brother she is in a great fret, for fea
she won't be ready by the time the carriag
comes, and her brother stands by, with hi
old clothes on, and tells her there is no hur
~ at all, and not to get excited.
Then she is finally all ready, and sits dow
to rest, and when the carriage does come sh
di .covers that she has forgotten her fan.
girl never got ready for party, in this worl
yet, up to the present writing, and didn
forget her fan. Well she sends her brothe
up to her room after the fan, and while h
is upstairs, stumbling around in the dar
and knocking things over, she is remarkin
, to the young gent in the parlor upon wha
lovely flowers he sent, or has brought, an
upon what delight full evening it is. The
f the girls brother. falls over chair in tn
, darkness of the upper hall, and yells ths
he can't find any fan, and he stands at tn
head of the stairs waiting further instru'
lions, and rubbing his shins, and murmurin
blessings upon everything in general. An
the girl is in trouble about her fan, and tn
young gent in the parlor is trying to squirl
, into comfortable position in his part
clothes, and to prevent his aspiring part
necktie from mounting over his party cola
and perching itself upon his left ear an
, in the meantime the hackman is out there
the front door, dancing around in the slusl
I and swearing at the delay.
I Then that girls mother goes and gets Ii
; fan, and comes into the parlor, and says
g few words to the young gent that makes hi
r feel sure his clothes are all right, and the
o she wraps her own heavy shawl around hi
q girls shoulders, and opens the door, an
4 hopes they'll have pleasant time, and tel
}. the young gent to "Bring my daughter hon
p. safely, and not too late" And then they g
n into the carriage, and are gone, and neith
+ the young gent nor the maiden could te
l. Just what influence it was that broke Il
!, spell of awkward embarrassment and start'
things right.
And then the mother goes back into Il
sitting room, and her husband asks who tn
cackle- Drained dude is, and observes tn
they used to go to parties on foot when III
# were young, and didn't have flowers to we
4 in the middle of January, either. And thu
q he smiles good naturally, and returns to b
. newspaper. But the mother doesn't 81
anything, and maybe tear might be SCI
y on her cheek as she puts the things ava
! When that girl comes home, and finds t
= hall gas turned low, and the house all sile
= and dark, does che know there is listen
4 ear in MoCe com, and pair of ey
tna she came in Perha
!, a., ,e was the order of exerc